Ignition



J. H. STRINGHAM.

IGNITION DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I9, I918- 7 LIMA, 22%

Patented Oct 5, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. STRINGIIAM, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

IG'N'ITIO IN-- DEVICE 'EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 0on5, 1920.

Application filedzAuguSt 19,. 1918. Serial No. 250,420.

0 all whom at may concern Be it known that i, Jenn H; STRINGHAM,

.a citizen of the United States, residing in return ito the cylinder toignite the charge an ignition device of--thistype being :disclosed in myPatent No.1,-203,,072, granted October 31, 1916.

The ob ect of the ll'lVGlIlilOIl lS to improve upon the construction andorganization of gnition devices of the above type: in order to produce amore simple and compact device, more efficient and durable in use, lessexpensive to manufacture, and, withal, more capable o1 effectingimproved self-timed combustion. To the accomplishment of this object,the invention consists in --the improved ignition devicehereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out. in the appendedclaims.

The preferred form of embodying the .in-

vention is illustrated-in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a vertical section of the improved ignition device; Fig.2 is asideelevation of-thesame; and'Figs. 3,4, 5, and 6, are sectionstaken onthe lines 33, 4-4, 5-5, 6 -6, respectively, of Fig. 1.

Theimproved ignition device for explosive or internal combustionenginesas illustrated in the drawings, comprises a lower body portion orvalve casing 11 and an upper body portion or spring casing 12. These two.parts together constitute the framework of the device and support theoperative elements'thereof, The valve casing 11 is threaded at its lowerendso that it may be screwed into the cylinder of the engine to whichthe device is applied, and the spring casing 12 is screwed intothe-upper end of the valve casing 11. The ignition device is providedwith a trap or chamber adapted to receive a portion of the gases orproducts of combustion duringthe explosion and. to

' mixture therein.

hold the trapped gas atits high tempera- *t-ure until the next explosivemixture is brought to a certain degree of compression by the piston,whereupon a valve is opened to permit the trapped gas to enter thecylinder and ignite the compressed explosive The chamber for trappingthe combustion gas is formed within the hollow head portion, which isthe lower end (Fig. 1) of a valve 4, slidingly received with in thevalve casing 11. -T'he gas chamber within the valve lis in closed at itssides by a cylindrical wallor casing 13 fastenedwat its lower en d to alug or boss 14 projecting from the bottom end or" the valve casing 11.The gas chamber opens into the interior 15 of the valve casing 11, whenthe valve 4 is raised, through holes 3 in the bottom part of the gaschamber casing 13; and the inte rior of the valve casing 11 open intothe cylinder of the engine through holes 1 drilled in the closed iottomend of the valve casing. Suspended within the gas chamber is aperforated cylindrical sleeve 16 come:

trically arranged with the casing 13. The

interior of the sleeve 16 is filled with wire mesh 2. The casing or wall13 of the gas charnb r, the sleeve 16 andthe wire mesh 2 all composedofsome heat-resisting material suchas nichrome steel. This construction isfor the purpose of keeping the trapped combustion gas at as high atemperature as possible.

The valve It'is normally' held seated over the holes 1; to keep the gaschamber-closed, by means oi" a spring 5 interposed between a nut 17screwed into the hollowstem 1S-of the valve 4 and a nut 6 screwed intothe end of the spring casing 12. The nut 17 virtually constitutes anextension of the valve stem 18. By adjusting the nut 6 the tensionof'tlie spring 5 may be regulated. The tension of the spring 5 will besuchthat'the valve 4 "will be opened only whenthe compression of theexplosive mixture in the cylinder is nearly atits highest point. Thevalve 1 is raised during the compression of the explosive mixture in thecylinder and is held. raised during the explosion, so that a portiono'lthe gases or products of combustion find their way through-the holes 1and 3 into the gas chamber where the is held trapped at its hightemperature until sub stantially the culmination of the next compression' stroke of the engine. The valve a double-muting r valve seatin itself at itsupper end when raised so as to prevent the escape ofthe compressed gases except through the holes 3. e

In order that the gas chamber may be thoroughly cleaned out after eachentrap-.

ment of combustion gas therein,a circular exhaust passage 9 formed in,the lower end of the spring casing 12 surrounds the stem 18 of thevalve 4. This exhaust passage 9 gives into the atmosphere through anoutlet 18.. The escape of the gases through the outlet 18 is muffled bya screw 10. When the valve 4 is seated the exhaust passage 9 is coveredover by the adjacent part of the stem 18, but when the valve 4 'isat thelimit of its upward movement, then the holes 19 extending radially froma valve chamber 20 register with the exhaust passage 9. The

valve chamber 20 communicates with the gas chamber. through a centralhole 21 in the valvestem 18. The passage 21 between the valve chamber 20and the gas'chamber is 1101'- mally 'held closed by a valve 7 slidinglyreceived in the nut 17. The valve 7 i'sclosed by a spring 8 (of highertension than the spring 5) interposed between the nut17 and a nut 22screwed into the upper end of a casing 23 extended upwardly from the nut17. The tension of the spring 8 may be regulated by adjusting the nut22. The ten sion of the spring 8 is such that the compression of theexplosive mixture in the cylinder does not effect an unseating oropening of the valve 7 when the valve 4 is unseated. 'When, however, thevalve 4 has been opened to permit trapped, heated gas in the gas chamberto pass into the cylinder to explode the compressed explosive mixture,

then the force of the explosion unseats the valve 7 There is nowmomentarily a free passage from the gas chamber into the atmosphere, sothat the residue of gases re- 'maining, in the gas chamber are swept outtherefrom by the passage of' the freshprodnets of combustiontherethrough. When the force of the explosion diminishes slightlyth'e'valve. 7 is seated, and then as the force of the explosioncontinues to diminish the valve 4 seats itself, leaving some of the hotproducts of combustion trapped in 'thegas chamber. I 1 i The operationofthe improved ignition device is as follows: -When the engine-iss'tarted'up a spark plug is used to cause the initial explosion.The'compression of. the explosive mixture in the cylinder previous 'tothe explosion has opened the valve 4 so that when the explosiontakesplace a small portion ofthe gases or products of combustion rushinto the gas chamber. The valve 4 being'at this time at the limit of itsupward movement, andthe force of the explosion having unseated the valve7 there is a momentary escape of the combustion gases through theexhaust passage 9. The

.usual spark.

stroke of the piston.' N hen the compression of the explosive mixturehas reached the predetermined point the valve 4 is unseated, permittingthe hot and highly compressed combustion gas in the gas chamber to passinto the cylinder and ignite the compressed explosive mixture therein.The opening of the valve '7 during the explosion permits the stalecombustion gas still remaining in the gas chamber to be swept out of thepassage by the fresh combustion gas therethrough.

"As the force of the explosion diminishes, the valves 7 and 4successively close, trapping some of the gases or products of combustionin'the gas chamber, and thereafter the same series'of operative steps asdescribed above are repeated throughout the operation of theengine. 7

The ignition device described above is self:

timed in its operation after the tension of the springs have once beenregulated for the particular engine to which the device is applied;because when the load on theengine is increased, more gas is sucked intothe cylinder, so that the pressure suflicient to open the valve 4'occurs sooner and the effect is accordinglyequivalent to advancing theIt will be understood that many changes may be made in the constructionof the ignition device illustrated in the drawings and described abovewithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

The construction illustrated and described, however, greatly facilitatesthe ease and rapidity with which the work of manufacture may be carriedon.

Moreover, this construction provides a very durable and .efiicient'ignition device. If at 'any timeit is necessary to get into the interiorof the device for any purpose, the joined structure facilitates thetaking apart and the putting together of the device.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimediss- 7 1.'Anignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber connectedby passages with the cylinder of the engine and with the atmosphere,avalve in which the 'gaschamber is formed for normally closing thepassage to the cylinder, and a valve for normally closing the passage tothe atmosphere. Y

2. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamberhaving a passage connecting it with the cylinder of the engine and apassage connecting it with the atmosphere, a valve for normally closingthe passage to the cylinder, and a second valve mounted within the firstvalve for normally closing the passage to the atmosphere.

3. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamberhaving passages to the cylinder of the engine and to the atmosphere, avalve in which the gas chamber is formed for normally closing thepassage to the cylinder, and a second valve mounted within the firstvalve for normally closing the passage to the atmosphere.

4:. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber, apassage from the gas chamber to the cylinder of the engine, a passagefrom the gas chamber to the atmosphere, valves for normally closing thepassages, said valves being opened respectively by the compression andthe ex plosion.

5. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a valve casingadapted to be attached to the cylinder of the engine, a valve in thecasing, a gas chamber in the valve, and a passage between the gaschamber and the cylinder normally closedby the valve.

6. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a casing, a valvein the easing, a gas chamber in the valve, a passage between the gaschamber and the cylinder of the engine normally closed by the valve, anda passage between the gas chamber and the atmosphere normally closed bya second valve.

7. An ignition device for explosive engines having, in combination, acasing, a valve in the casing, a gas chamber in the valve, a passagebetween the gas chamber .and a valve carried by the and the cylinder ofthe engine normally closed by the valve, a second valve mounted withinthe first valve, and a passage between the gas chamber and theatmosphere normally closed by the second valve.

8. An ignition device for explosive engines having, in combination, avalve casing, a valve therein, a gas chamber within the valveconstructed to retain and keep hot products of combustion, a passagebetween the gas chamber and the cylinder of the engine normally closedby the valve, a spring for closing the valve, a passage between the gaschamber and the atmosphere, a second valve for normally closing thispassage, and a spring located within the first spring for closing thesecond valve.

9. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber, apassage between the gas chamber and the cylinder of the engine throughwhich products of combustion enter the gas chamber, a valve for closingthe gas chamber to keep the products of combustion therein, a passagebetween the gas chamber and the atmosphere, first valve for normallyclosing the passage to the atmosphere, the first valve being arranged tobe opened by the compression, and the second valve being arranged to beopened by the explosion.

10. An ignition device for explosive engines comprising a gas chamber, apassage between the gas chamber and the cylinder of the engine, a valvefor normally closing the passage, a passage between the gas chamber andthe atmosphere, a valve for normally closing the passage to theatmosphere, and means for mufiling the passage of exhaust gases from thechamber to the atmosphere.

JOHN H. STRINGHAM.

